Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Holy cow, too many calories! I gotta start getting out more and burning some off. So today, I was out and all the way down to Crowchild, and amazingly, feeling very, very good. I wouldn't say I was into that zone known as the runner's high, but I was definitely in an entirely engaged and calm place.

But yeah, these extra calories. They seem to be piling up in front of me, cuz I see them every time I look down. Sheesh!

I suppose it was worth it. It's once a year, and I got another eleven months or so to prepare for it all again.

Monday, December 24, 2007

Today is post birthday (birth day plus one), and it strikes me that I am in a new division the next time I race. Maybe it's time to start signing up for races again. I might actually get close to placing first.

It's a beautiful Christmas Eve day, and perfect to get out and trundle along the river paths. Which I did. Nothing exciting happened but just a nice run. The ice on the river is piled up and jumbly, and where there's open water, it's rushing and frothing and moving very fast. Sunny and wonderful.

I was out two days ago, and forgot to write it up. For some reason, it's been so hard to get out, and so hard to keep track with this write up and the spreadsheet (yes, there is one).

I headed out to burn off some frustration (families are so crazy-making, sometimes) and down to the river for the usual 14th Street loop. Across the river and back along the promenade, I ran into Roxanne. Good to see her, and we made a date for coffee, so she could tell how much she's spoiling her new grand-daughter.

After that, straight home, since it was getting dark, and I had a dinner date with friends to get ready for.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Went across the river for a little Christmas gift hunting, and on the way back met my neighbour who was out for a run. Seemed like a good idea, so I changed and headed back out as soon as I got home.

A windy, sunny day, and mid-afternoon, so not too many runners were around. It was easy to trundle down The Path, and onto the river bank. Lots of ice on the river, and upstream from Prince's Island, there isn't much open water. The path under 10th Street has been closed since Thanksgiving, and now it's under half a metre of water. Or rather, ice.

Crossing at the crosswalk, my timing is great, so I didn't even slow down. Up and across at 14th Street, and back along the promenade. Great chucks of ice are all over the river between 14th and 10th. It looks all very static and beautiful.

I felt a little slower tonight, but probably wasn't. I tackled The Path and even got in a fairly agressive ten second sprint. At the top, I felt jumpy and wasn't slowing. Again, not as fast as last time, but fast enough, and lots of energy.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

All kinds of energy tonight. I don't know where that came from, but I felt really good out there. Just ready to move tonight.

Out into the cold, and yes, it was cooler than I thought. Not as windy as it was the other day, but what breeze there was, was a little biting. I was a little chilled until the turn around at 14th Street, and then I got to run with the wind.

Something I read awhile ago suggests that ten second sprints on hills helps to develop speed, so I've been doing that on The Path Under The Stairs. At the end of the ten seconds tonight, I'd caught up to a cyclist and passed him. Even after slowing down again, he didn't catch me. I heard him shift down and lean into it, but I stayed ahead. It likely doesn't prove much, but at the time, it felt pretty good.

I've always enjoyed running, but sometimes a run will almost transcend fun. I love it!

Sunday, December 09, 2007

It's warmed up considerably today, compared to last week. This morning was a little chilly, but right now it's almost balmy. Hope it lasts for a few weeks.

It seems like a couple of weeks since I've been out for a run. I've seen my neighbour head out into the cold a few times, and have been wondering what's up with me. Different things have been pulling at me, I guess, and now that things have settled some, (and it's warmed up a little) maybe I can get back on track.

I just ran to 14th Street today. Since I haven't been out much, I think it's prudent to take it easy again, and build up for a bit before pushing for distance. I missed a race of some kind. I haven't done races since the summer. For some reason, I haven't thought of doing races for ages. Maybe that's part of the transitional nature of the past year.

Saturday, December 01, 2007

And according to Environment Canada it's going to stay for awhile. They are predicting the coldest winter in fifteen years, or something like that. But then their track record for long term forecasts ain't that great.

It was a chilly start, and I wondered (as I usually do) if I was dressed warm enough. There was a light wind from the north, and I felt it as I ran eastward and westward at the beginning. And once I got moving and breathing heavily, the cold was hard on the teeth.

By the time I got a half a kilometre down Memorial, I was feeling pretty warm, and by 14th Street, I was sweating. There was a light snow falling, and I met a few people out running. I missed the Jingle Bell Run crowd. By the time I got out, they were done, and volunteers were picking up pylons

The GPS ran out of juice again. I'm gonna hafta start remembering to plug it into the charger more often. I'll go with 7.0 km over 40 minutes.